Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

[Dephormation]

Originally Posted by R Jones

Bump - anyone interested in giving me info for this? I'll do the donkey work and send it in. Sooner the better, hit them while they're reeling from the Tribunal ruling.

I'd recommend the usual, keep to things they can photocopy initially and see where it takes you...

- Dates and content of all correspondence between BERR and BT/Virgin/Phorm since 2006
- Dates of meetings, and agendas, minutes, attendees
- Date BERR first became aware of the secret trials
- Dates Ministers (in particular John Hutton, Gareth Thomas, Shriti Vadera) were first advised that secret trials had been conducted
- Any instruction or advice to ICO concerning complaints

[simpsonsFAN]

out of interest, is there anyway I can find out if my connection is being phormed ? or does anyone know of phorm being tested in the cambridge area ?

[morphisafb]

How come all these aquiss folk on here, what have they got to do with Virgin? There's aquiss staff members pumping out this stuff, very odd. Why are they posting the same stuff here as on the BT forum under different names?
Take it only reason they aren't on the Talktalk members forum is they aint members.
Also seem to tie up with third rate "review" site ispreview which is also full of this gunk.
You lot should stop polishing your tinfoil helmets and get a life.
P.S. Absolutely nobody else is interested in this twaddle. See Government petitions, anti phorm 16000 votes, jeremy clarkson for p.m. 40000+, no mainstream media coverage of anti-phorm protest at BT AGM, no widespread outrage, just you lot.

---------- Post added at 01:24 ---------- Previous post was at 01:23 ----------

Originally Posted by simpsonsFAN

out of interest, is there anyway I can find out if my connection is being phormed ? or does anyone know of phorm being tested in the cambridge area ?

It's adverts mate, nothing more, nothing less

[Florence]

Originally Posted by morphisafb

How come all these aquiss folk on here, what have they got to do with Virgin? There's aquiss staff members pumping out this stuff, very odd. Why are they posting the same stuff here as on the BT forum under different names?
Take it only reason they aren't on the Talktalk members forum is they aint members.
Also seem to tie up with third rate "review" site ispreview which is also full of this gunk.
You lot should stop polishing your tinfoil helmets and get a life.
P.S. Absolutely nobody else is interested in this twaddle. See Government petitions, anti phorm 16000 votes, jeremy clarkson for p.m. 40000+, no mainstream media coverage of anti-phorm protest at BT AGM, no widespread outrage, just you lot.

---------- Post added at 01:24 ---------- Previous post was at 01:23 ----------



It's adverts mate, nothing more, nothing less

I left VM because of Phorm I still have some family stuck in contract with VM once phorm goes live on VM they get out free.
Oh by the way hi, as for it being just adverts if it was just adverts then phorm/webwise wouldn't need to DPI my conection, intercept my browsers and pretend to be the website I am wanting. Then harvest keywords to deliver an advert for something I would have already bought...Making it irrelvent adverts like the ones now that are blocked until I am loking for something then I will unblock for the search to reblock same day by this time I have made my decision and either bought or decided it wasnt what I wanted...

I alos dislike having someone who was in the spyware business while trialing for BT who has left a footprint all over the internet with false leads leaving those trying to investigate his illegal practise with dead ends..

I control my own privacy I give out as much or as little as I want not have someone gathering what they want that I have no control over...

From your information page.

Biography
Sick to death of phorm drivel clogging up every forum I visit for info.
Location
Not far enough away from this tosh

Best laugh ever just adverts sir you are either insane, Phrom PR or kent? Also with that on your information page why did you bother joining us unless you needed to learn about phorm.

[morphisafb]

I don't know what you're on about. Seems to me I'd rather have adverts for stuff I wanted than stuff I didn't.
Still, at least you've got a hobby eh?

[simpsonsFAN]

Originally Posted by morphisafb

It's adverts mate, nothing more, nothing less

I dont go along with this forums paranoia anyway. All I want to find out is if anyone knows if they are testing in cambridge

-Chris

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by morphisafb

I don't know what you're on about. Seems to me I'd rather have adverts for stuff I wanted than stuff I didn't.
Still, at least you've got a hobby eh?

Read the thread. Some people object to the whole thing (ads and everything). Some people (like myself) merely object to the fact that Phorm will be storing a profile on everyone, and even though they are supposedly anonymising the data , there is some evidence to suggest it can be de-anonymised. They also object to the fact that if earlier reports are correct, the system routinely stores the details of *every* page visited by an opted-in customer, then at some point reduces this data to profile a user. Until this happens, even assuming Phorm are totally trustworthy , then your data is a potential target for hackers. Hackers wouldn't be interested in a lot of the stuff people look at, but they might be interested in, say, credit card and bank account details. Both of which could theoretically be stored by Phorm.

So, no, the debate isn't just about targetted advertising.

[Florence]

Originally Posted by simpsonsFAN

I dont go along with this forums paranoia anyway. All I want to find out is if anyone knows if they are testing in cambridge

-Chris

Dephormation pete has something that will stop you visiting his or any other website it is installed on if you go via Phorms system.

http://www.dephormation.org.uk/

[morphisafb]

Originally Posted by Stuart C

Read the thread. Some people object to the whole thing (ads and everything). Some people (like myself) merely object to the fact that Phorm will be storing a profile on everyone, and even though they are supposedly anonymising the data , there is some evidence to suggest it can be de-anonymised. They also object to the fact that if earlier reports are correct, the system routinely stores the details of *every* page visited by an opted-in customer, then at some point reduces this data to profile a user. Until this happens, even assuming Phorm are totally trustworthy , then your data is a potential target for hackers. Hackers wouldn't be interested in a lot of the stuff people look at, but they might be interested in, say, credit card and bank account details. Both of which could theoretically be stored by Phorm.

So, no, the debate isn't just about targetted advertising.

Facts mate, facts not theories, not "some evidence to suggest" nor any of the other maybes etc..

I take it like other forums where this stuff festers, to even disagree with this witch hunt you get stamped on quick.
Got the drift, shan't bother you again - carry on...

[simpsonsFAN]

Originally Posted by morphisafb

[Admin Edit: Provocative crap removed]

What is your problem, exactly ?

Originally Posted by Florence

Dephormation pete has something that will stop you visiting his or any other website it is installed on if you go via Phorms system.

http://www.dephormation.org.uk/

Thanks. Their checker didn't find any evidance of it.

-Chris

[Florence]

Originally Posted by simpsonsFAN

Thanks. Their checker didn't find any evidance of it.

-Chris

Good to hear Chris the check was clean

[icsys]

Originally Posted by R Jones

Now that is timely. The article focusses on the DBERR, formerly the Department of Twiddling and Inaction/Trade and Industry. Our friends that are coming under fire from their noble Lords, the Baroness Miller and Lord Northesk. Let's hit them from the citizenry end too with FOI requests.

Good to see a ruling from the Tribunal forcing them to come clean about who lobbies them and how, and who they talk to and when etc. That is very good news for us. If Phorm is just about commercial advantage, then the DBERR can't really refuse to divulge any lobbying or conversations about the system. So the only grounds for refusal to divulge contacts between DBERR and Phorm will have to be more substantial. Which will tell us a lot.

The FOI focus needs now to focus on DBERR and what they did and didn't know about Phorm, and who they did and didn't talk to about Phorm and when.

snip

So - what questions should we be asking of the DBERR? I imagine that we could take the Lord's questions as a guide.

snip

Originally Posted by Dephormation

I'd recommend the usual, keep to things they can photocopy initially and see where it takes you...

- Dates and content of all correspondence between BERR and BT/Virgin/Phorm since 2006
- Dates of meetings, and agendas, minutes, attendees
- Date BERR first became aware of the secret trials
- Dates Ministers (in particular John Hutton, Gareth Thomas, Shriti Vadera) were first advised that secret trials had been conducted
- Any instruction or advice to ICO concerning complaints

Most of this is already in hand at WhatdoTheyKnow
Responses are due around the end of August and early September.

[oblonsky]

Hi - well forgive me because I've already seen 3 types of pro-phorm posters on here. Some work for Phorm, some are playing devil's advocate and are actually anti-phorm, and some actually do support Phorm and can't see what all the fuss is about.

I don't know which of the above you are, so maybe you can first of all clarify what you think "just adverts mate" means?

From my perspective I object to being profiled by my ISP, and I also object to having my connection hampered by up to 3 unecessary redirects because Phorm and BT want to track my internet use.

I pay premium price for a premium connection, adverts don't enter into the equation for me.

[icsys]

hello phormisfab.. er I mean morphisafb

If you wish to inject pro-phorm discussion then fair enough. If your presence here is simply to bait then you will most likely be ignored.

[AlexanderHanff]

Originally Posted by morphisafb

I don't know what you're on about. Seems to me I'd rather have adverts for stuff I wanted than stuff I didn't.
Still, at least you've got a hobby eh?

Ahhh Phorm PR teams have switched to the language of the "common" man to try and disrupt things now eh?

It won't work mucker, we are all too smart to fall for your silly colloquialisms.

Alexander Hanff